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The Ink Well Weekly Fiction Prompt #1 - The Moment When...
"Just one wish, young lady. Tell me what you desire the most this moment in time. Do not think." He dictated gravely. Jemima could not believe it. At last, she will have her wish for once. She grinned,"I want to be Lydia. She has everything. Make me be Lydia."
He took a moment, then said,"your wish is granted. Same would be reversed, if only, you realise the moment when…." Jemima was not listening anymore as the rest of his words faded away. Her wish will soon be a reality, that was all that mattered. Then she won't have to live with this family that seem not to care what she wants. Jemima went to sleep.
It was a quiet, still night. Lydia laid flat on her stomach, under her bed. Her heart was racing fast, sweat pouring down her face profusely. Her hands were shaky, cold and clamy. She could not stop trembling from fear. This is a nightmare, she thought. The last two nights have been the same.
She was confused as to why she was trembling in fear and hiding under the bed. The whole scene seemed out of her control. Then the window beside her bed creaked open slowly with a dark head sticking in. She could not see the face from where she hid under the bed. The figure's breathing was heavy, loud and harsh in the quiet room. "Little Lydia," he whispered. "Where are you girl? Hiding from me? Don't make me come looking for you."
Tears streamed down her face. Lydia covered her mouth with her hands to stop any sound from escaping. He must not know she is here. She waited, then no heavy breathing sound again.
"Lydia, time for school!" She woke with a start and bumped her head against the bed. Lydia did not remember falling asleep under her bed. She came out from under the bed and dressed for school.
In class, Lydia could not help staring at Jemima all day. What was she thinking? Jemima is a cute, pretty girl. Well dressed and very intelligent. The teachers commended her and everyone loved her. She seemed happy all the time. She had all she ever needed.
When the school bell rang, Jemima jumped up and ran out of the class. "Woohoo! I love my life!" She screamed as she ran past Lydia. Lydia dragged her feet, not in a hurry to returned to her home of nightmares. Then she had a light bulb moment and her mind was made up. She knew what she had to do to banish the nightmare away. How could Lydia live like this and pretend at school that all was well? Why would she envy Lydia when she had a good life?
At 9pm, her mother popped into her room. "Young girl, put off your lamp. Time for bed."
"Yes mom. Good night."
"Good night my flower. Love you."
Lydia forced herself to stay awake even though her eyes were heavy. When it was 12 midnight, very sure your mother would be asleep, she tiptoed into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of tomato and pepper paste in the kitchen. Her mother will forgive her in the morning for what she would do with the paste. She pushed the bowl under the bed gently so the paste would not spill on the rug and slid in with it. She fell asleep waiting for the nightmare man.
The window creaked and Lydia woke up suddenly, hearing the heavy breathing sound. "Little Lydia, where are you? Enough of this game". Lydia took a deep breath, slid out a little from under the bed and drew the bowl close to her. "I am right here you monstrous, bad man!" Lydia shrieked loudly and poured the tomato paste on the dark head. The man screamed from the pain of the paste getting into his eyes and nose as he toppled and fell over to the ground.
The whole neighborhood woke up. Lydia's mother came rushing into her room. The mystery man was Mr. Samuel staying two houses away from Lydia's house! The police came, asked questions and commended Lydia for being a brave girl. Her mother was so proud of her. She tucked Lydia in beside her and they both slept together for the remaining hours before morning.
In class, while the teacher was writing on the board, Jemima turned and looked at Lydia sitting behind her who also looked up at almost the same time. They both smiled at each other. "Thank you", Lydia mouthed. Jemima nodded and turned to face her book. It felt good to be herself again.
Jemima knew she had foolishly and ignorantly believed Lydia's life was far better than hers. She realised how she was well loved and taken care of. When she resolved to help Lydia overcome her nightmare and fear, that was the moment when she knew her life was far better and still hers alone. There was nothing to be gained trying to be someone else.
After school, Jemima ran to meet her mum at the parking lot and hugged her tightly. "Oh mummy, I missed you so much!"
THE END
What an interesting story, I liked it from beginning to end, it kept me in suspense and uncertainty elements that attract me to the stories.
At first I thought it was another Cinderella story, but it was a total surprise.
Thank you very much for sharing, you are very talented, congratulations. @kemmyb
Lol, Cinderella story? That would have been too obvious. Thank you for your kind words. 🙂🍀
Thank you for engaging with the fiction posts by other writers in The Ink Well community, @soyunasantacruz.
!ENGAGE 10
It has been a pleasure thank you very much, I want to continue creating and learning from @TheInkWell, but these weeks I haven't felt the inspiration for that, thanks for the token. @jayna
That happens to all of us, @soyunasantacruz. Maybe the newest prompt will inspire you. :-)
Thank you @jayna, I feel motivated.
ENGAGEtokens.What a brave girl she was! It's often that we wish we had something that others had, but it takes walking that road to realize every life comes with problems to overcome. A blessing in disguise that Jemima was able to protect Lydia from the evil while she was changed! Plus, the sweetest reunion for mother and daughter to be reunited!
I'm new to the community, so I regret that I had to come back to an old post to comment on, in order to fulfill my 2 comments on this prompt. I will follow you so that I can be sure to see new posts as well.
Hehehe, well said. It's alright to comment on old posts. I mean that's why we write, isn't it? Our words live on for others to read at any time.
Thank you for taking the time to read through. I'm glad you enjoyed my story and welcome to the Ink Well. 🙂
It is our lasting legacy! Your welcome is very warm and appreciated!
Hello @kemmyb,
Such an innovative take on the prompt. You work it into the story:
and you build the arc of the narrative around it. Thank you for posting this interesting story in Ink Well!
Thank you for taking the time to read through and comment. I appreciate your support. 🙂
🌼🌼
Hello @kemmyb how lovely a story of stepping into someone's else's shoes to find out their lives isn't better. As humans, we think the grass is greener on the other side. Since a person is on the outside, that's all they see is what's presented.
I learned that lesson long ago when my mom told us as kids, "if you think your life is miserable, just take time and look around you."
I liked how getting to become Lydia, Jemima helped with her problem. I'm happy to find out that the prowler didn't harm Lydia. I feel she now has more confidence in the future and no more nightmares. They probably became closer friends.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful story.
!ENGAGE 20
ENGAGEtokens.A story that makes us think about the fact that everyone is fortunate to have the life they have. We long for someone else's life that we forget the benefits of our own.
Very good teaching leaves the story, I loved it.
:) Thank you for supporting your fellow writer!
Exactly! Due to little things that may be unpleasant, we forget the good in our lives and envy other's. It should not be so. Thank you
!ENGAGE 10
ENGAGEtokens.Interesting post, @kemmyb, it is a common fantasy to believe that other people's lives are better than ours, I liked the twist at the end.
I'm glad you liked the story. Thank you for reading through. 🙂
Thank you for engaging with you fellow writer @pipokur67 !
!ENGAGE 10
ENGAGEtokens.An interesting story about bravery.
It seems to me good material for children's literature.
The moral also applies very well to children's literature: the courage to be yourself.
!ENGAGE 10
ENGAGEtokens.I enjoyed your story, @kemmyb. In all my years of imagining how to thwart attackers, I had not yet considered tomato and pepper paste. Very clever!
Lol! It works everytime here especially because of the pepper in the paste. Similar to the effect of pepper spray. Thank you ma'am for stopping by. I'm glad you enjoyed this story. 🍀
Hi @kemmyb,
Thank you for participating in the #teamuk curated tag. We have upvoted your quality content.
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Life is always greener on the other side eh
It feels like this had to happen so things could be righted - and I am glad it did :)
Thank you for engaging with the author!
Wow, wow. Very interesting story with great lessons. 1) Do not envy the life of others. 2) Courage is facing our fears.
The narration was very fluid. I liked that you used a girl's point of view because there is candor in the decisions.
It was a great pleasure to read you @kemmyb!
Thank you for supporting this author and engaging :)
Sorry, out of BEER, please retry later...
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Well done, @kemmyb. You developed a very interesting story line, as well as strong characters and some frightening suspense as well - leading to a good story arc!
Please be sure to add a link to your story in a comment in the prompt post, so other members in our community can find your story.
Thank you for your comment. I'll certainly add my link to the prompt post.
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